Olympic Info:Along with partner Albena Denkova, Staviyski has competed in two Olympiads for the Bulgarian team in ice dancing. At the 1998 Nagano Games, Staviyski and Denkova finished in 18th place. In 2002, at the Salt Lake City Olympics, they improved to seventh place.

Career Highlights:Born in Russia, Staviyski began skating at the age of four. In 1996, he teamed with Anastasia Belova and they finished ninth at the World Junior Championships. Later that year, Maxim changed partners and became a team with Albena Denkova of Bulgaria. The following year, they captured the Bulgarian National Championship and competed in the European Championships (finishing 17th) and World Championships (19th). Including 1997, Staviyski and Denkova have won the Bulgarian Championship six consecutive years.

In 1998, they competed in the Nagano Olympics and finished in 18th place. They also finished fifth at Skate Canada and sixth in the Sparkassen Cup. In 1999, they finished ninth at the European Championships and 11th in the Worlds. Two years later, they improved to eighth in Europe and 10th in the world. In 2002, they finally became a top ten team, placing seventh at the Olympics, sixth in Europe, and fifth at the World Championships.

In 2003, Staviyski and Denkova became one of the best ice dancing pairs in the world. They finished third at ISU Grand Prix at St. Petersburg and then became the first Bulgarian team to medal at an ISU championship when they captured the silver at the European Championships. Staviyski has gained Bulgarian citizenship, although the pair trains in Russia.

Birth and Death Dates:b. Nov. 16, 1977

Origin:Rostov-na-Don, Russia

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